SUPPLICATORY CANON TO ST. NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER

Troparion in Tone 4.  He who was lifted up on the Cross.

Let us the faithful fall before the most venerable icon of the hierarch, crying out to him, though we are involved in many sins:  Hurry to deliver us all from every danger, pain, pestilence and terrible disease, O Nicholas, hierarch of the Lord, by your holy prayers to the compassionate God.

Ode 1. 
Irmos.  Of old, the wonder-working staff of Moses submerged the charioteer of the Pharoah, having as a prefiguration of the Cross struck and divided the sea, but saved fugitive Israel, travelling on foot, who raised to God a hymn of praise.

By your intercessions, holy Nicholas, beseech God to scatter the dark cloud of my despondency, all-blessed saint, for you are truly full of joy and happiness, standing by the King of all.

Surrounded on every side by the mighty waves of my passions and by the rolling swell of thoughts, by your intercessions steer my agitated soul to the gracious harbor of the will of Christ, so that I may glorify you, Nicholas.

As you have proven yourself to be a companion of the apostles and saints and are always filled with divine radiance, by your prayers render those who venerate your sacred icon today partakers of light, all-blessed Nicholas.

I entreat you in faith, pure Virgin, who received the unbearable fire in your womb, to deliver me from Gehenna and by your well-received supplications free me from the punishment laid up for me on account of the multitudes of my sins.

Ode 3. 
Irmos.  You are the strength of those who run to you, O Lord, you are the light of those in darkness, and my spirit glorifies you.

So that we may glorify you and celebrate you fitly, blessed Nicholas, give us peace by your intercessions.

We ask you to bring an end to our incurable sicknesses, Nicholas, by your fervent entreaties.

Deliver me by your supplications, Nicholas, for I am surrounded by passions, temptations and many dangers, and save me.

I regard you, all-pure Virgin, as the protector of my life and an invincible fortress; therefore I do not fear the onslaught of the dangers of vain life.

Ode 4. 
Irmos.  I have listened attentively to the tidings of you, O Lord, and was afraid; I pondered your works, and I glorified your might.

I have fallen in with innumerable diseases and sins, O Nicholas. Come quickly to save me, all-venerable saint, by your entreaties to the master.

Since you obtained an acquittal for the three young men and so saved them from death, speedily deliver me, O Nicholas, from eternal condemnation.

I, a wretch, live negligently and so I am worthy of condemnation; by your prayers, holy Nicholas, guide me to the roadstead of repentance.

Cleanse me, ever-virgin Mother of God, for I am a filthy sinner, and raise me, a dead man, for you bore him in your womb who has given life to the dead.

Ode 5. 
Irmos.  Why have you thrust me from your presence, O light inaccessible?  And why has the alien darkness covered me, a wretched man?  But correct me and guide my ways to the light of your commandments, I pray.

With a firm purpose you went up to the heavenly Lord, from whom you received the power to perform the greatest miracles, blessed Nicholas; wherefore, deliver us, your suppliants, from dangers and diseases.

In your divine memory the assembly of priests delights, Nicholas, and choirs of the faithful, benefiting from your miracles, exult in them with joy and hymn you as is proper, hailing you as our greatest protector.

Shining with divine splendor, your heart was truly made manifest as a paradise, for you acquired the tree of life, which was in its midst. Beseech the Lord, Father, that your servants enjoy the Paradise of delight and glory.

O Maiden, I lay all my hopes of salvation on you; wherefore I beseech you not to disregard me as I drown horribly in a sea of misfortunes, but give me your hand, as your Son gave his hand to Peter, and save me.

Ode 6. 
Irmos.  My supplication I pour out to the Lord, and to him I describe my afflictions, for my soul has been filled with evils and my life has approached Hades, and I pray as did Jonah:  O God, bring me up from death.

A storm of dangers distresses me but is not able to overwhelm me, blessed saint, for having you ever as my pilot, I am able to reach the peaceful harbor, even Heaven, because of you, hierarch Nicholas.

Be merciful to your servants, wholly blessed saint, and give them the protection of their health, as you are kind and loving by nature, and deliver them from sufferings and afflictions by your interventions with God, divinely wise Nicholas.

Since you manifestly delivered innocent men from death, our captain and father, so even now deliver us from all misfortunes and diseases by your holy intercessions, so that we may honor your memory with affection.

O kindly Mother of God, by your fervent prayers rouse me now, for I am weighed down by the slumber of indolence, and do not give your servant over to sleep unto the death of sin, for I choose you as the protector and guide of my life.

[Prayers after Ode 6.]

Look graciously on us, blessed Nicholas, and by your supplications drive away every affliction from the souls of your suppliants.

Kontakion.  Tone 4.
By the rays emanating from your miracles, Nicholas, you illumine everything under the sun, you make gloomy afflictions disappear and drive away the onslaught of dangers, for you are our most fervent defender.

Ode 7. 
Irmos.  The Hebrew youths trampled underfoot the flame in the oven courageously and they changed the fire into dew, crying out, “Blessed are you, O Lord, our God unto the ages.”

You are the savior of those who sail, O Nicholas, and the champion of widows and the harbor of orphans, and you enrich the poor; wherefore also deliver us from dangers by your intercessions.

You perform miracles far off in the sea and all the earth; you ever come quickly to the suffering and deliver them from diseases and dangers.

You are a physician of all kinds of diseases of my soul and you deliver me from dangers, thrice-blessed Nicholas; wherefore cure my sickness and grant energy to us by your inspired prayers.

Lift up your hands, Virgin, to the compassionate God and King, and by your powerful entreaty, free your suppliants from terrible misfortunes, diseases and dangers.

Ode 8. 
Irmos.  The captive youths in the furnace confessed Christ the king, saying with a great voice, “Hymn him, all his works and exalt him above all unto all ages.

Save your suppliants, Nicholas, for we are now surrounded by an abyss of temptations; rid us of them by your intercessions.

Inasmuch as you dwell in the joy of Heaven, blessed one, and partake of glory, preserve those who praise you in song by your prayers.

Illumined by the unapproachable light, Father, you enlighten the souls of those who are in affliction, doing away with all the gloom of their trials.

You are powerful, Maiden, having borne in strength the compassionate Savior of the world; wherefore I run to your fervent assistance.

Ode 9. 
Irmos.  Fittingly we confess you, Mother of God, who for your sake were saved, pure Virgin, with the bodiless choirs, glorifying you.

All creation makes known, blessed Nicholas, the multitude of your powers and miracles; wherefore she hails you and celebrates you as her protector.

Wholly blessed Nicholas, as an imitator of the Savior, save from dangers your suppliants who faithfully glorify you, O wonderful saint.

Rejoicing in the heavenly, divine lights, O Father Nicholas, divinely  
blessed by God, save us through your prestige and protect us.

Mary, Mother of God, gladden my soul, which has been afflicted by sin, and make of it a partaker of heavenly blessings.

ENDNOTES FOR THE CIRCUMSPECT

I thank Zoilus for proofing the Greek and I thank Aeteia, my lawfully wedded, for proofing the English.  Any errors surviving their ministrations were slipped in when no one was in the room.

Troparion.

"Compassionate [God]" (φιλάνθρωπον).  Usu. translated as "lover of man." I cannot lay my hand on that dictionary in which this awful translation first blighted our lexicography.  Whoever made "lover of man" a fixture of Anglophone translations had only to look past the first definition in, say, Great Scott to find much more germane definitions (humane, benevolent,
tender-hearted); they would have been wiser still to patiently wade through Lampe's entries until they found lenient, merciful.  This word is used in two different ways.  The first is as a kenning for benevolent (so Great Scott) but also for mild, kind, conciliatory (Woodhouse).  The second is hinted at in Lampe by the cryptic reference, "of emperor."  To follow that up, see the works of Jessica Vahl, David A. Parnell and Daniel F. Caner.  A short, rough summary is that the projection of the image of imperial clemency was a big deal in antiquity.  The drama in which the most vicious enemies of the emperor are pardoned as an exercise in undeserved, gratuitous leniency is frequently hinted at in our hymns as being the earthly model of the Heavenly reality, in which God does not even wait for us to surrender ourselves to pardon us--he pardons us while we are still impotently blaspheming him (so St. Paul).  Thanks to the execrable expression "lover of mankind," we can have no hint of the infinite generosity of our Lord, no inducement to follow his example.  Who, except for mad scientists, can even imagine that they can vie with God in being "lovers of mankind"?  Kudos to that terrific monotonic Greek dictionary which defined φιλάνθρωπος in the purest way we could want:  αυτός που αγαπά τον πλησίον του (he who loves his neighbor). 

"Pestilence" (φθορά).  This is another word which the translators are determined to pin to a single, one-size-fits-all definition--corruption.  
Who would use a dictionary that gave exactly one definition for every word?  Is corruption just exotic?  The lexicographers supply various expedients.  Montanari offers destruction, ruin, corruption, shipwreck, death; Lampe uniquely furnishes defilement, i.e., sin; Schrevelius grimly adds contagion, pestilence, 
perdition, decay.  I went with pestilence, since φθορά is sandwiched by "pain" and "disease."  

Ode 1

"Delight and joy."  Θυμηδία can be joy or delight.  Ευθυμίας can be joy or cheerfulness.  You can see how they emphasize different aspects of joy—one is the spontaneous pleasure in something, the other is a frame of mind. 

"Companion."  Σύσκηνος can mean tent-mate, mess-fellow, comrade, all words which pack the wrong baggage for this line.  Companion (Stephanus' collega) seems to be the right kenning of a word with many bad possibilities (bunkie, British mate, Batman’s buddy-boy etc.), though associate and fellow might work under the right circumstances.

"Render" (ανάδειξον).  The Greek word has many exciting connotations which render does not.  Great Scott:  lift up and show, display, proclaim [as being elected to office], dedicate.  DGE:  revelar, inaugurar, consagrar, proclamar, declarar, designar, nombrar, mostrar.  Montanari:  transform.  Kontopoulos:  render.  Kyriakides:  extol.  Lampe:  (in the passive) be famous. 

"Unbearable fire," i.e., Christ.  According to Quasten, this imagery comes from the Antiochian reaction, developed in liturgical mysticism, against Arius’s subordination of the Son to the Father.  By contrast, St. Ambrose of Milan discusses receiving Communion without any warnings to approach with dread.  See A. Quasten.  St. Ambrose’s catechetical instructions on baptism and Communion are available online.  

"Sins" (πταισμάτων).  The core of πταῖσμα is not malice aforethought, but carelessness (whence stumble, trip, false step), which leads to moral outcomes (mistake, failure) or outright disaster (defeat, calamity).  However, among the hymnographers it seems to serve as another way to say sin.

"Well-received" (ευπροσδέκτοις).  Montanari also offers opportune, acceptable, pleasing.  Zoilus observes that this adjective implies successful supplications.  The word is familiar from St. Paul's paraphrase of Is. 49.8 at 2 Cor. 6.2.  

Ode 3.

Invincible.  Άρρηκτον is tricky to render in English.  We do not say “unbreakable” of a fortress.

Fortress.  The word τείχος means wall but may by synecdoche means fortress, as here.  The shift in meaning is natural, as the wall is the first thing we may see of a fortress.  

Ode 4.

"Innumerable."  The Greek reads Νόσοις πλείστοις . . . και πολλοίς τοις πταίσμασι περιπέπτωκα, which literally rendered (I have fallen foul of innumerable diseases and many sins") produces a queer anesis. 

"Come quickly" (πρόφθασαν).  The text reads πρόφθασαν, but this must be changed to the imperative πρόφθασον to make any sense—a good example of the Greek of this class of literature.  
“Anticipate to save me” is not English.  In Middle Liddell we find that λέγε φθάσας is translated as "speak quickly," from which it is a short step to E. A. Sophocles' definition in his Romaic Grammar (1842), “come or arrive quickly."  Modern translations of Greek hymns generally agree on this point.  

"Roadstead" (όρμω).  Great Scott defines όρμος as "the inner part of a harbour or basin, where ships lie."  The COD defines roadstead as "piece of water near shore in which ships can ride at anchor," i.e., protected from the ocean.

Ode 5
The "tree of life" is said by some sources to be Christ.

Ode 6
From misfortunes and diseases" (περιστάσεως πάσης . . . και νόσων), lit. "from every misfortune and diseases").  Our hymnographers not only conjoin verbs in different tenses but nouns with different number.  Perhaps English is fastidious.
"Our captain and father" (ώ Πάτερ στρατηλάτα), lit. "O Father Commander."  A harsh collocation.  Στρατηλάτης can also mean admiral, so I put in captain to leave the door open to a maritime association.  Greek does not mind using one noun to modify another.  Cf. Acts 13.16 (Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται).

Ode 7

“Savior” (ρύστης) or “liberator, deliverer.”  Not a soteriological word in our euergetistic antiquity.  In Homer we find ρυτήρ (protector, defender).  According to Great Scott, ρυστήρ (deliverer) is a “rare and late form of ρυτήρ.”  Our word, ρύστης, is, according to Montanari and Great Scott, found in the LXX and pseudo-Lucian (i.e., late).  Lampe does not include it and the New Testament authors do not know it.  In euergetism, the προστάτης of the community is paid back with praise and titles (like “the father of his country”).  “Defender,” “guardian” and “savior” are among other titles so used.  The word ρύστης does not, like σωτήρ, have soteriological overtones.  According to Bauer, σωτήρ was originally “a title of divinities,” later applied to “deserving” men.  In the NT, it is applied only to God.  I suppose that our hymnographer was using ρύστης to acclaim St. Nicholas in proper, euergetistic style, but signaling heavily to his audience—or to the few Greek monks who knew ancient Greek—that he was not confusing the saint with Christ our God.

"Those who sail."  The geography and economy of Greece have always required extensive sailing, which has ever been and still is a dangerous occupation.  Deliverance from maritime hazards is a constant theme for the hymnographers.  Cf. the following troparion.

"Heal."  Lit., “you appear as the physician of all kinds of diseases and dangers of my soul.” 

Ode 8

"Depth."  In all translations with which I am familiar, βάθος is translated as abyss, but not a single lexicon supports this.  Schrevelius offers only two words for abyss.  ἄβυσσος denotes something bottomless, infinite; in the New Testament it covers roughly the same ideas as Hades does in our hymns.  Definitions are typically the deep, ocean, depth etc.  βέρεθρον 
denotes a gulf or a pit, particularly one in Athens into which criminals were thrown; it comes to mean ruin or perdition, but not the underworld.  Alexander Pope wrote a critique of mediocre poetry called Peri Bathous, or The Art of Sinking, which introduced the word bathos into our language. 

"Rid us of them."  Lit., “grant us their dissolution (λύσιν).”  Λύσις has an exceedingly wide range of meanings, which allows the Greek a great deal of flexibility; this means that in English we have to become especially imaginative.  This word appears in English as scientific terms (-lyse, -lysis).

"You are powerful."  Not points typically made about the Mother of God.  Probably reflecting the commonplace of euergetism that a patron is powerful.  See Kent for details.

Ode 9

"Wonderful saint."  The hymnographers regularly invoke the saint twice in the same troparion.  When such a troparion is being chanted in Greek, this may not be noticeable (especially for the monks who do not know ancient Greek).  The morphology of Greek allows reams of words to be stuffed into single sentences in such a way that things don’t get misplaced; English is not able to do this, although Dr. Johnson and Cardinal Newman show how it can be done to some extent.

"Prestige" (προστασία).  Tricky word.  Is it protection, patronage or defense?  This hymn (indeed, like all our hymns) is riddled with references to the euergetistic norms of antiquity.  Here an appeal is made to the clout of our saint to obtain our requests from the Heavenly King.  See my Facebook page for some papers on the topic.